Zane: 'Titanic' was a blessing and a curse

Billy Zane felt "typecast" after he starred in 'Titanic'.

The 46-year-old actor, who portrayed Cal Hockley in the 1997 epic drama, admitted while landing such a coveted role in the movie was "a gift", he became "synonymous with playing bad guys" among casting directors immediately afterwards.

"It's a gift for any actor to be part of such a wonderful movie, it was a blessing," he said.

"But in terms of a curse, Hollywood in particular is notorious for taking less risks for more money. So when it comes to casting in particular, there's quite a bit of type casting.

"And they always try to make 'last year's movie' which is a big mistake, instead of 'next year's movie'. I was synonymous with playing bad guys. So it forces you to become a little more inventive and embrace your independence and direct your own movies, and make your own life."

With the Oscar-winning movie re-released on April 6 in state of the art 3D, Billy explained watching 'Titanic' a second time around allowed him to finally feel "sympathy" for his bad boy character.

He added: "I found myself experiencing it more objectively, like an audience member. It completely transformed me into a ticket holder.

"But what I found this time around, which is really interesting, was I was really engaged by Cal.

"I could see myself outside of myself and I suddenly found myself caring a lot. I was more understanding, and had more sympathy dare I say, for his journey than I did before."

'Titanic 3D' is released on April 6.